Vehicle body construction



Dec. 29, 1953 w. D. APPEL 2,664,308

VEHICLE BODY CONSTRUCTION Filed Au 25, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W D. APPE LINVENTOR.

AT TORNEVS Dec. 29, 1953 w. D. APPEL VEHICLE BODY CONSTRUCTION 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 25, 1951 M/DAPPEL INVENTOR 56 77 BY 6&

' ATTORNEYS patentec l Dec. 29, 195 3 Walter B. Appel;OrchardLake,:Mich., assi'g'nor to :Ford 1 Motor Com'pany, Dearh'orn, Mich tareorporationof Delaware kp plicati on llug ist 25, 1951 Serial'NoiZHfilB2 filaims. or This invention relates to motor vehicle bodies, 'and-;morepartijcularly'to'fthe front end structure "of'such bodies. it isan'objec't of the present inventionto improve motor vehicle bodiesandparticularly bodies ofthe frameless orintegral frame andbodytype. Theinvention contemplate the utilization of jsheet metal side panels havingtheir rearward {edges conforming to and secured to the cowlstructure'and supportedjait their lower edges uponlbngitudinal1y"extending sill members forming the under body structureof the integral frame "andbody'unit. "Thesidefpanels fo'rm'the outerside wallsof .the engine compartment and "also fthe inner wallsofthe'frontwheel house's. ReillfOICiIigthQTlOlfltjQlldJOf"the vehicle bodyare a pair of elongated reinforcing members generally L shaped in crosssection "and secured to the cowl structure, side panels and sill membersin such manner as to form therewith box section ducts for thetransmission of ventilating and heating air tothe passenger compartmentof the vehicle as well as providinga strong rigid strucfture properly"supporting the forward portion of the vehicle body against the variousstresses 'to which it is subjected. The reinforcing member "at' 'or efside jof the body "is so constructed as to receive and sup'port thecore of a hot waterhea'ter in an "advantageous position "for maximum"heatfingefficiency andlocatedadjacent the engine-so as to ;1 provid eshort connections thereto. "The pposite reinforcing member and theadjacent e panel are formed and constructed in such Imanner as toprovide {a support for the vehicle i'b'attfery {as ,wefll as forming .aventilating duct and also properly strengthening and bracing the,Tforwardport'ion of-the vehiclebody-structure.

,The present invention I accordingly has among iits objectsltheprovision of a strong, light weight, gand easily and inexpensivelymanufactured con- ;struction for the forward portion of a motor velificle "bodypf the frame less or'so-called. integral frame and bodytype. JAfurther object and ad- .vantage of the-present:construction isthe prov on of a vehicle body having desirable strucal characteristicsand at the-same time perorming functions ordinarily erequiring saddlltional structure and expense. Thus, ;-with the -present invention,:heating :and ventilating ducts re obtained without the necessity ofjproviding tructure :for this purpose alone, and an effective batterysupport is forme tin-like fashion.

Other objectszandladvantagesiofthis invention particularly toward therig ht iside o'ffthe compartment.

Figure 3 is atransverse vertical cross-sectional view of the structureshown in Figures {1 1andj2, with the section-being takensubstantially'on the plane indicated by the 1ines' 3-3 of 'the seviews.

Figure '4 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on theplaneindicate"diby 'the11ine 4-4 of Figure 1. w

Referring now to the drawings, the forward portion of "the motor vehiclebody is of the iniwillzbeimade-more apparent as this description 1565'tegral body and frame type with the under body framing structurecomprising a pair of longiftudin'al'ly extending U-sh'aped sill memberill equally spaced on opposite sides of the longitudinal verticalmiddleplaneof the body. The

sill members I open upw'ardlyjandjare provided with horizontalmarginalflanges l2 'toiwhich are secured 'fiat plates [3 closing the sillmembers and-forming'box section structures.

The cowl structure of the body compr ses {an upper cowl panel l6 and alower "shroud pan or dashboard H. The dashboard j'lT has a lowertceboardportion l8suppor'ted up'on thesillmembers I l and inclinedupwardly and forwardly therefrom. At its center the toeboard portion isdepressed as in customary practice to jpro'vi'de clearance for othervehicle components. The inclined toeboard portion l8 continues upwardlyinto a generally vertical intermediatetportion l9 also centrallydepressed, and then continues into an upwardly and "rearwardl inclinedtop portion 2| the upper edge of which'isweldedtoithe lower edge of theupper 'cowlpanel f6 ivvhich formsa continuationthereof.

'Ptightand left sheet metalsidepanels Hand -23 are provided and form'the outer side 'v'ialls "of the engine compartment and-also the innerwalls of the wheel houses for the "front wheels "of the vehicle."These-side panels are, with certain exceptions to 'be discussed later,identical in construction and-are so shaped at their rea r- 'wardedgesas to conform tothe configuratlonof the cowl structure being weldedthereto. The upper edges of the side panels 22 and;23,are;,provi'ded-with outwardlyextending fianges 'z ti adaptthe leftside panel 23.

'ginal flange .4! welded to the side panel 23.

3 ed to support and be secured to the outer side panels or fenders (notshown) of the body.

Since the construction varies somewhat at opposite sides of the vehicle,as indicated above, the construction at the two sides of the enginecompartment will be described separately. The left front side, as bestseen in Figures 1 and 3, will be described first. The left side panel 23is inclined downwardly and inwardly toward the longitudinal center lineof the vehicle and at its lower extremity is formed with an inwardlyprojecting flange 21 welded to the inner marginal flanges I2 and 13 ofthe adjacent sill member ll. Adjacent its forward edge, the left sidepanel 23 is bent to form a generally vertical portion 28. Adjacent thisvertical portion 28 the lower flange 21 of the side panel is necessarilysomewhat wider to extend to and be connected to the sill member II. Theforward edge of the side panel 23 is formed with an outwardly extendingflange 29.

Reinforcing the left side structure thus far described is an elongatedreinforcing member 3 i. The reinforcing member 3| is generally L-shapedin cross section to form an upper wall 32 and laterally inner wall 33.In side elevation the reinforcing member is somewhat S-shaped. The upperwall 32 of the reinforcing member is provided with a marginal flange 34continuously engaging and welded to the adjacent surface of The forwardportion of the inner wall 33 of the reinforcing member is formed at itslower edge with a marginal flange 33 seated upon and welded to the flatplate i3 and inner horizontal marginal flange i2 of the sill member H.The rearward portion of the inner wall 33 of the reinforcing member isformed at its rearward edge with a marginal flange 3'1 conforming inshape to the configuration of the cowl structure and welded to the uppercowl panel l and the dashboard ll of the cowl structure. It will beapparent from the foregoing that the reinforcing member 3! forms acompression strut or brace extending between the sill member and thecowl structure and is at the same time secured to the side panel to forma strong rigid body structure in this area.

As best seen in Figure 4, the intermediate portion of the reinforcingmember 3| between the forward portion connected to the sill member andthe rearward portion connected to the cowl structure is furtherstrengthened by means of a flanged plate 38 having one marginal flange39 welded to the adjacent edge of the inner wall 33 of the reinforcingmember and its opposite mar- It .will thus be seen that the flangedplate 33 not only provides additional support for the body structure butalso closes the opening between the reinforcing member and the sidepanel. A completely enclosed hollow duct 42 is now formed between thereinforcing member 3 I, flanged plate 38, side panel 23, and sill memberH. The forward end of the duct is open and is adapted to receive airentering the vehicle through the grille (not shown). A suitable screenmay be mounted if desired at the forward end of the duct 42 and securedto the front flange 29 of the side panel 23 and to flanges i3 and 44formed at the forward edges of the reinforcing member 3 I. Ihe rearwardend of the duct 42 communicates with the passenger compartment of thevehicle through an opening 4'6, Figure 3, formed in the upper cowl panelI3 and dashboard H of the cowl structure.

It will be noted that the forward portion of d the duct 42 is enlargedand of generally rectangular cross section by reason of the verticalfront portion 28 of the side panel 23 and is thus adapted to receive thecore of a suitable vehicle heater of the hot water type (not shown). Arectangular opening 41 is formed in the upper flange 32 of thereinforcing member 3| to enable a heater core to be inserted into theduct.

Thus, not only does the structure at the left front side of the vehicleprovide a strong rigid integral body and frame structure with a minimumof parts and expensive construction but it also forms a duct adapted toreceive air from adjacent the forward portion of the vehicle andtransmit it to the passenger compartment thereof. Furthermore the bodyconstruction provides an advantageous location for a heater core to heatthe incoming air immediately upon its entrance into the duct. Inaddition, the location thus provided for the heater core is closelyadjacent the vehicle engine and accordingly relatively short connectinghose can be used. It will be seen that rearwardly of the forwardenlarged portion of the duct 42 the duct is somewhat narrower and yetmaintains a proper area for the transmission of air therethrough byreason of its vertical height.

The construction at the right front portion of the vehicle body will nowbe described, and reference is made particularly to Figures 2 and 3. Areinforcing member 5| of L-shaped cross section and generally S-shapedin side elevation is provided and is generally the same as the oppositereinforcing member 3! except for being reversed. As with the left frontreinforcing member 3!, the right front reinforcing member 5| is providedwith marginal flanges suitably welded to the right side panel 22, theupper cowl panel l5 and dashboard ll of the cowl structure, and thelaterally inner marginal flange l2 and plate l3 of the adjacent sillmember I I. In addition, the portion of the reinforcing member 5!between the sill member and the cowl structure is supported and closedby means of a flanged plate similar to the flanged plate 38 at theopposite side of the vehicle body.

The right side panel 22 is also generally similar to the left side panel23 and is formed with marginal flanges, the rearward and lower flangesbeing welded to the cowl structure and to the sill member respectivelyas at the opposite side of the body. The side panel 22, however, is notprovided with a vertical portion at its forward extremity as in the caseof the opposite side panel but is uniformly inclined downwardly and in-Wardly toward the longitudinal center line of the vehicle for maximumstrength and support. In addition, the side panel 22 varies from theopposite side panel 23 by reason of being formed with a depressedportion 53 immediately above the top of the forward portion of thereinforcing member 5|. The outer Wall 53 of the depressed portion 53 ofthe side panel 22 is vertical while the lower wall 56 thereof ishorizontal.

Welded to the upper surface of the forward portion of the reinforcingmember 5| is an inverted channel-shaped member 51, the upper edgethereof being horizontal and aligned with the lower wall 56 of thedepressed portion of the side panel. As seen in Figure 3, a flanged tray53 is supported upon the channel-shaped member 5'! and the lower wall 56of the side panel and secured thereto by the bolts 59. The tray 58 isadapted to support the vehicle battery.

It will now be apparent that the reinforcing member at the right frontside of the vehicle body cooperates with the adjacent side panel 22, theflanged plate 5| and the sill member II to form a duct 6!. The forwardopen end of the duct BI is transversely aligned with the forward openend of the duct 42 at the opposite side of the body and is in positionto receive ventilating air from adjacent the forward portion of thevehicle, preferably through the grill thereof. This ventilating air isconnected through the duct and into the passenger compartment of thevehicle through an opening 62 formed in the upper cowl panel It anddashboard I! of the cowl structure. Thus the body structure at the rightfront portion of the vehicle is not only efficiently designed to providethe necessary structural support in this area but also functions asventilating and heating ducts and as a battery support.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to theexact construction shown and described, but that various changes andmodifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a motor vehicle body construction, a transversely extending cowlstructure, a pair of longitudinally extending sill members supportingsaid cowl structure and extending forwardly therefrom, said sill membersbeing laterally spaced on opposite sides of the longitudinal center lineof the vehicle body, a pair of sheet metal side panels defining theouter sides of an engine compartment and the inner sides of wheelhouses,said side panels being inclined downwardly and inwardly toward saidlongitudinal center line and having their rearward and lower edgesconforming and secured to said cowl structure and sill membersrespectively, and a pair of reinforcing members of L-shaped crosssection each having an upper leg secured at its marginal edge to theinner side of one of said side panels and an inner leg bridging thespace between said cowl structure and the extended portion of one ofsaid sill members and secured at its marginal edges thereto, a platesecured at its edges to said side panel and to the intermediate portionof the marginal edge of said inner panel of the reinforcing members,said reinforcing members, sill members, side panels, plates and cowlstructure mutually bracing each other to form a unitary body structureand cooperating with each other to form enclosed ducts at opposite sidesof the vehicle body for the transmission of heating and ventilating airfrom the front portion of the vehicle body to said cowl structure, andsaid cowl structure having a pair of openings formed therein inalignment with said ducts, the reinforcing member at one side of saidvehicle body being formed with an opening in its upper leg at theforwardportion thereof for the insertion therethrough of a heater element, andthe adjacent inclined side panel being formed with a verticallyextending portion at its forward end cooperating with said reinforcingmember to form therewith an enlarged rectangular box section chamber forreceiving a heater element.

2. In a motor vehicle body construction, a transversely extending cowlstructure, a pair of longitudinally extending sill members supportingsaid cowl structure and extending forwardly therefrom, said sill membersbeing laterally spaced on opposite sides of the longitudinal center lineof the vehicle body, a pair of sheet metal side panels defining theouter sides of an engine compartment and the inner sides of wheelhouses,said side panels being inclined downwardly and inwardly toward saidlongitudinal center line and having their rearward and lower edgesconforming and secured to said cowl structure and sill membersrespectively, and a pair of reinforcing members of L-shaped crosssection each having an upper leg secured at its marginal edge to theinner side of one of said side panels and an inner leg bridging thespace between said cowl structure and the extended portion of one ofsaid sill members and secured at its marginal edges thereto, a platesecured at its edges to said side panel and to the intermediate portionof the marginal edge of said inner panel of the reinforcing members,said reinforcing members, sill members, side panels, plates and cowlstructure mutually bracing each other to form a unitary body structureand cooperating with each other to form enclosed ducts at opposite sidesof the vehicle body for the transmission of heating and ventilating airfrom the front portion of the vehicle body to said cowl structure, saidcowl structure having a pair of openings formed therein in alignmentwith said ducts, the side panel at one side of said vehicle body beingformed with an outwardly ofiset portion having a vertical Wall and ahorizontal floor, a supporting bracket mounted upon the top of theadjacent reinforcing member in transverse alignment with the offsetportion of said last mentioned side panel and having its upper surfacein horizontal alignment with the floor of said offset portion, and abattery supporting tray positioned upon said floor and said supportingbracket and secured thereto.

WALTER D. APPEL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,380,031 Deisley et a1. July 10, 1945 2,388,419 Komenda Nov.6, 1945 2,436,620 Tarbox Feb. 24, 1948

